Meet the Population
Understanding how identity, agency, and culture evolve across generations through a cascading taxonomy of human complexity.
The Diversity Within
Beyond the headlines about generational divides lies a far richer story. Each generation contains multitudes— different life stages, structural contexts, mindsets, and behaviors that create a complex tapestry of human experience.
A 35-year-old Millennial raising young children in suburban Ohio has more in common with a Gen X parent in similar circumstances than with a 27-year-old Millennial starting their career in Brooklyn. Life stage often trumps birth year.
Our cascading taxonomy reveals these patterns, moving from broad generational cohorts down to specific micro-segments that capture the nuanced reality of how people actually live, work, and relate to technology and culture.
The Surprising Communication Preferences of the Generations
Gen Z calls the bank more than Millennials. Boomers and Gen Z text at the same rate. A period at the end of a message means completely different things depending on who sent it. Everything you think you know about how generations communicate is probably wrong.
How the Generations Engage with Ads
Gen Z loves your junk mail, Boomers are streaming more than you think, and only 12% of brands use humor in their advertising. The generational playbook is tidy, intuitive, and — according to the data — significantly wrong.
Everyone Games, Nobody Games the Same
Your grandmother plays more video games than your uncle. Gen Z won't pay $70 for anything. The NYT is secretly a gaming company. And the most commercially important "game" in America is a platform where kids build their own content. A 35-minute deep research report.
How the Generations Define Success
Gen Z thinks "making it" requires $587,797 a year. Boomers say $99,874. Both chose happiness over wealth — and the generation with the highest financial ambitions is the one most likely to quit a job that lacks purpose. A 28-minute deep research report.
How the Generations Express Identity
Ninety-one percent of young adults say mainstream pop culture no longer exists. Forty percent say anime is core to their identity. And the most digital generation alive is buying more vinyl records than any other cohort. A 30-minute deep research report.
How the Generations Live with Technology
Gen Z averages nine hours of screen time per day — and 76% say it's too much. The generation buying the most dumbphones is the same one that uses AI more than any other cohort alive. A 30-minute deep research report.
How the Generations Learn and Consume Information
Americans spend seven hours a day on screens and seven minutes reading. Gen Z uses social media before Google — yet reads more books per week than any other cohort. They just find them on TikTok first. A 32-minute deep research report.
How the Generations Spend Money
Gen Z cut spending by 13% — then started financing festival tickets in four installments. Credit cards give them "the ick." Gen X is the quiet spending king of the next decade. And nobody feels like they have enough. A 30-minute deep research report.
The Cascading Taxonomy
Six layers of segmentation that reveal the true complexity of generational identity.
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Featured Analysis
Economic Impact by Generation
Explore how economic influence shifts between generations from 2000 to 2040. See the animated visualization of wealth transfer and spending power evolution.
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